Which to use
“widerfahren” and “widerfährt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,201
- “widerfahren” frequency rank
- #47,857
- “widerfährt” frequency rank
- 72058
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | widerfahren | widerfährt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (jemandem) geschehen (besonders etwas Unausweichliches, scheinbar vom Schicksal Bestimmtes) | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs widerfahren |
Where the eye mixes widerfahren and widerfährt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. widerfahren runs 11 letters (CVCVCCVCCVC) against widerfährt's 10 (CVCVCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses widerfahren with widerfährt
A purely visual mix-up. widerfahren ([ˌvidɐˈfaːʁən]) and widerfährt ([ˌvidɐˈfɛːɐ̯t]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72058, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
widerfahren is recorded at frequency rank #24,201, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌvidɐˈfaːʁən]. widerfährt is at rank #47,857, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌvidɐˈfɛːɐ̯t].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 72058, this pair ranks #399,038 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of widerfahren vs widerfährt
Shared letters: defhirw. Private to "widerfahren": an. Private to "widerfährt": tä.
"widerfahren" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVC · "widerfährt" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- widerfahren ← iwderfahren · wdierfahren · widderfahren · widefrahren · widerafhren · widerfahern · widerfahhren · widerfahrenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "widerfahren" and "widerfährt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "widerfahren" vs "widerfährt" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "widerfahren" and "widerfährt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "widerfahren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "widerfährt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #399,038 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "widerfahren" and "widerfährt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "weiterfahrt vs widerfährt". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #399,038 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.